The Seven
by thequeenofzombies
Summary: Nick would never be good enough for Greg. He would never be good enough for the seven. Slight spoilers for XX. Sorta Nick/Greg. WARNING: Mentions of hate crime, SLASH, death of a small child, repeated hate crime. AND MORE HATE. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR PEOPLE!


DISCLAIMER: Ha

**DISCLAIMER: Ha! If I owned CSI there would be ten times more Greg. I don't…so there isn't. Bummer. **

**AUTHORS NOTE: This came to me after watching XX. Nick notes a tattoo on the victims arm, and then claims to not know what it is. Catherine explains. Here.**

**CATH: Every woman knows what that is. It's a heart. Or half of one at least.**

**Well I came up with this. Nick did know it was half a heart. He just didn't let on. Rated for SLASH. Nick/Greg. Don't like? Hit that magical little button on your tool bar. It's called BACK. **

Nick Stokes knew exactly what Baby Girl's tattoo was. He knew because he had an eerily similar one, on his lower back. Half of a deep red, almost crimson, heart, with a stark black outline. Every time Nick thought about that heart, his mind wandered to two years back, on August 21st, a day which Nick still had marked on his calendar. His and Greg's anniversary. This one was special. It was their first. They wanted to do something special, but what? The only things to do in Las Vegas are gamble, get married….and gamble some more.

So they left Nicks apartment. They walked down the strip. Greg had been joking when he pointed out the large sign that read "COUPLES TATTOO'S. SALE! SALE!" But Nick had liked the idea. He didn't plan on ever letting Greg go, on ever letting him leave. The tattoo was exactly what he needed. The absolute proof that they were forever.

So they walked inside. The lady who gave them the tattoo smiled. Nick could never remember her name. But she loved them. Reasonably, Nick supposed, for she was wearing a bright pink t-shirt that read "I'm not lesbian, but my girlfriend is." Greg still laughed when he thought of that. She made her recommendation, the half hearts. Not two flashy, not two subtle. Just perfect.

An hour later, Greg's shoulder and Nick's lower back were tattooed. Nick had worried about Greg's placement, but the heart was high up. In between the shoulder and the collarbone, perfect placement. Nick's worrying made Greg laugh. For a while Greg would mock Nick's fear of their relationship being discovers by Cath, or Griss, or, God forbid, Ecklie or Warrick. Nick couldn't handle that, but Greg could.

"Hell, the world could know I was a Nick-loving gay, see if I give a damn!" Greg had said. He was the brave one, really. But even who Greg was scared him sometimes, like after the parade massacre. That one hit the entire team hard. A pure hate crime, one with no reason, with no _point._

The gay pride parade was happening, when three sick bastards decided to pull out their guns and open fire. Seven people were killed. Seven people who were using their first amendment right to peaceable assembly. Seven people who were just showing who they were. Seven people who had no reason to die. And a dozen more hurt.

Seven people. Seven was always a lucky number. But there was nothing lucky about it this time.

Greg took it even harder. Not because he was gay. Because of the tattoo lady. Cat. That was her name. Cat…Sampson. Cat Sampson, age 27, who died of a gunshot wound to the head while marching during a gay pride parade. Whose partner of three years was left injured by gun, and broken by loss. Cat Sampson, who was succeeded by her parents, Bill and Marge, and her sister Laura. Cat Sampson, who personally believed she was responsible for her younger brother, Liam's, death. Liam had been beaten to death outside a bar in Manhattan. "KILL ALL FAGS" had been spray painted on his shirt. Cat was living with him. His murder remained unsolved.

She was the reason Greg took it so hard. Because innocent, loving people like Cat Sampson, who had been nice to two complete strangers, who had cared for them even though she didn't know them, had been brutally killed for no reason. Greg knew this happened everyday. But he never had to see seven people murdered by three people, aged 17, 18, and 22.

Three "Good, Christian boys, who were only following _their_ beliefs," as their mother described them. "Are you going to throw my boys in jail because they are doing God's work, Mr. Sanders?"

Greg had scoffed at this. "God's work was to love, and to accept. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, and one of them was 'Thou shall not kill.' your boys killed. Your boys broke the Ten Commandments. How is that God's work? And what about the golden rule? 'Due unto others as you would have them do unto you?' What if I shot your boys during a Christmas parade, because I thought Christianity was wrong? Would you be happy then? No! So why should now be any different? Why should these people be different because they like people of the same gender?" She had no answer. Greg walked away.

It was this massacre that changed Greg. It might have been the reason he left. Nick was never going to leave the nice comfort of the closet. Not even for Greg. This realization hit Greg long before it hit Nick. Nick had come home to a packed suitcase.

"You're never going to come out Nick. Because you could never care about someone enough to do that. To break your parents, to leave your comfort zone. I don't want to be your secret. I want to live my life. I want to be who I am. Like those seven innocent people. Do you know what Cat Sampson's partner said to me? She said 'I was scared of coming out to my parents. But then I met Cat. She changed me, Mr. Sanders. She made my life complete. I left the closet for her. I loved her.' You don't love me enough to do that Nick. So I'm leaving. Goodbye."

Nick had let Greg slip through his fingers. This hurt Nick. Greg had come out a little while later. Nothing had happened.

Nick would never come out. He couldn't. Not even for Greg. But he felt for those seven people. He wished he could be like them.

On August 21st, seven people were killed during a gay pride parade. One of them had been Yvonne Marcel, who was seven years old. She was marching with her mothers. She was innocent.

One of them had been Thomas Marks. He was 15. He was marching with his best friend, and partner.

One of them had been Georgia Hamilton. She was 32. She was not gay. She was marching with her brother.

One of them had been Jacob Hewitt. He was raised by two gay men. He was marching in memory of them.

One of them had been Fiona Jackson. She was marching with her bisexual best friend. They were going out for ice cream afterwards. They were happy.

One of them had been Taylor Jacobs. She was a gay-rights activist. She was going to speak after the parade. Brass spoke instead.

And one of them was Cat Sampson. She was marching for her brother, Liam, whom she loved. She was marching for the rights that every person deserves, regardless of their sexuality. She was marching because it was her right.

They were all taken. They had all been broken. And one of them had, literally, left an impression on Nick and Greg that they could never get rid of. One of them had inspired Greg to stop hiding. One of them had caused him to leave Nick. And Nick was thankful for that. Greg was right. He would only hurt him in the future.

But Greg was wrong about one thing. Nick did love him. Nick would always love him. But Nick would never be good enough for Greg. Nick would never be good enough for the seven either.

Stop the hate.

A/N: Yes, I am fully aware that you technically don't march in the parade without a float, but marching sounded better. Please review! This is my second fanfic, but I think this one turned out much better than the last. I would love some feedback! Thanks!


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